User interface for managing questions and answers across multiple social media data sources

ABSTRACT

A method for managing user-generated questions and answers across multiple social media data sources can begin with the receiving of query parameters, including a user-entered question, via the user interface of a social media Q&amp;A manage. Social media data sources can be queried for knowledge related to the user-entered question. When knowledge related to the user-entered question exists, the existing related knowledge can be organized and presented in the user interface according to a determined answer quality. When knowledge related to the user-entered question does not exist or is deemed unsatisfactory by a user, the user-entered question can be automatically submitted to applicable social media data sources by the social media Q&amp;A manager on behalf of the user. A status of the submitted user-entered question can be monitored. When the status of the submitted user-entered question changes, the method can be re-executed at the querying step.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to the field of data management.

Social media has become a common vehicle for mass communication andinteraction. A fundamental concept of social media is the ability toshare “something” en masse. That is, a member is able to share a photo,a thought, a document, or an experience with other members. Thus, socialmedia sites have collected a wealth of knowledge, especially thosedesigned specifically for knowledge sharing, such as a forums orquestion and answer (Q&A) sites.

BRIEF SUMMARY

One aspect of the present invention can include a method for managinguser-generated questions and answers across multiple social media datasources. Such a method can begin with the receiving of query parametersvia the user interface of a social media Q&A manage. The queryparameters can at least include a user-entered question. Social mediadata sources can be queried for knowledge related to the user-enteredquestion. A social media data source can maintain data representing acollection of knowledge from its members. This knowledge can berepresented as a textual phrase, a textual sentence, a textualparagraph, a hyperlink, a list, an audio file, a video file, and/or animage. When knowledge related to the user-entered question exists in asocial media data source, the existing related knowledge can beorganized and presented in the user interface according to a determinedanswer quality. When knowledge related to the user-entered question isnon-existent in a social media data source or deemed unsatisfactory by auser, the user-entered question can be automatically submitted toapplicable social media data sources by the social media Q&A manager onbehalf of the user. A status of the submitted user-entered question canbe monitored. The status can include an unanswered status, an answeredstatus, and a new answer status. When the status of the submitteduser-entered question changes to the answered status or the new answerstatus, the method can be re-executed at the querying step.

Another aspect of the present invention can include a system formanaging user-generated questions and answers across multiple socialmedia sources. Such a system can include social media data sources and asocial media question and answer (Q&A) manager. The social media datasources can be configured to maintain data representing a collection ofknowledge from its respective members. The social media Q&A managerconfigured to organize and present knowledge from the social media datasources for a user-entered question. The social media Q&A manager canoperate independent of the social media data sources.

Yet another aspect of the present invention can include a computerprogram product that includes a computer readable storage medium havingembedded computer usable program code. The computer usable program codeconfigured to receive query parameters, comprising at least auser-entered question, via a user interface. The computer usable programcode can be configured to query social media data sources for knowledgerelated to the user-entered question. A social media data source canmaintain data representing a collection of knowledge from its members.This knowledge can be represented as a textual phrase, a textualsentence, a textual paragraph, a hyperlink, a list, an audio file, avideo file, and/or an image. When knowledge related to the user-enteredquestion exists in a social media data source, the computer usableprogram code can be configured to organize and present the existingrelated knowledge in the user interface according to a determined answerquality. When knowledge related to the user-entered question isnon-existent in at least one social media data source or deemedunsatisfactory by a user, the computer usable program code can beconfigured to automatically submit the user-entered question toapplicable social media data sources on behalf of the user. Then, thecomputer usable program code can be configured to monitor a status ofthe submitted user-entered question. The status can include anunanswered status, an answered status, and a new answer status. When thestatus of the submitted user-entered question changes to the answeredstatus or the new answer status, the computer usable program code can beconfigured to re-execute the method starting at the querying step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an interaction diagram that illustrates the interactionbetween a user, a social media Q&A manager, and a plurality of socialmedia data sources in accordance with embodiments of the inventivearrangements disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system in which a socialmedia Q&A manager can be used in accordance with an embodiment of theinventive arrangements disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a Web browser depicting an example userinterface for the social media Q&A manager in accordance with anembodiment of the inventive arrangements disclosed herein.

FIG. 3A is an example of the My Questions component and feedback windowof the social media Q&A manager user interface.

FIG. 3B is an example of the Ask a Question component of the socialmedia Q&A manager user interface.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method detailing the operation of the socialmedia Q&A manager in accordance with embodiments of the inventivearrangements disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Since social media sites have proliferated astronomically, it is oftendifficult to find an answer to a question or knowledge about a topic.Further, a question is often reiterated on multiple sites and may havedifferent answers on different sites. Unless a user is a member of eachof the sites having an answer to the question or information about thetopic, the information is inaccessible. This is also true if the user isan expert providing knowledge; the expert's knowledge is limited to thesocial media site to which they are a member.

Because of the membership structure of most social media sites, theinformation is also inaccessible to the search engines. Many users relyupon the results of search engines when looking for information, and areunaware that the information they are searching for is locked awayinside a social media site. Further, users may not know which socialmedia sites would be useful to their request so that they could become amember. These problems were recognized and resolved during the course ofdeveloping the disclosure.

The disclosure provides a user interface for managing questions andanswers across multiple social media data sources. A social media Q&Amanager can be configured to accept entry of a user's question,aggregate applicable answers from multiple social media data sources,and present the aggregate in a single user interface. The social mediaQ&A manager can organize the answers by a calculated answer quality.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations foraspects of the present invention may be written in any combination ofone or more programming languages, including an object orientedprogramming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The program codemay execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

FIG. 1 is an interaction diagram 100 that illustrates the interactionbetween a user 105, a social media Q&A manager 110, and a plurality ofsocial media data sources 115 in accordance with embodiments of theinventive arrangements disclosed herein.

Interaction can be initiated when the user 105 enters a question 120using the social media Q&A manager 110. The social media Q&A manager 110can represent a software application that can act as a singleinteraction point for the plurality of social media data sources 115.

A social media data source 115 can represent a variety of computingsystems and/or software applications that collect data from a body ofmembers. Examples of social media data sources 115 can include, but arenot limited to, social networking sites (e.g., FACEBOOK), communaldiscussion sites (e.g., bulletin boards, forums), communal gaming sites(e.g., POGO), micro-blogs (e.g., TWITTER), virtual worlds (e.g., SECONDLIFE), communal streaming sites (e.g., USTREAM), data-sharing sites(e.g., YOUTUBE), WIKI sites (e.g., WIKIPEDIA), and a massivemulti-player online (MMO) gaming sites (e.g., WORLD OF WARCRAFT), andthe like.

The social media Q&A manager 110 can communicate with the social mediadata sources 115 in order to identify 122 answers to the user's 105question. Any identified answers can then be organized 124 by the socialmedia Q&A manager 110. The organized answers can be presented to theuser 105.

Upon reading the presented answers, the user 105 can feel that theirquestion has been satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily resolved andprovide feedback 128 the social media Q&A manager 110 withrepresentative feedback of their satisfaction. The social media Q&Amanager 110 can then propagate 130 the feedback to the appropriatesocial media data sources 115.

In the case where the user 105 provides feedback indicating that theirquestion has be unsatisfactorily answered 135, the interactionscontained in the dashed box can be performed. The social media Q&Amanager 110 can submit the user's 105 question to one or more of thesocial media data sources 115 to solicit new and/or better answers.

At a later time, the social media data source 115 can receive 142 ananswer to the question from one of its members. The social media Q&Amanager 110 can then retrieve 144 the answer from the social media datasource 115 and send a notification 146 to the user 105. The next timethe user 105 uses the social media Q&A manager 110, the answer canpresented 148.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system 200 in which asocial media Q&A manager 240 can be used in accordance with embodimentsof the inventive arrangements disclosed herein. System 200 can performthe actions described in interaction diagram 100.

In system 200, the social media Q&A manager 240 can provide a user 205with answers to a question from multiple social media data sources 220.Access to the social media Q&A manager 240 can be provided using avariety of architectures.

For example, in one contemplated embodiment, the social media Q&Amanager 240 can be provided as a paid service. This service can besubscribed to by the user 205 or can be licensed by a social media datasource 220 that provides the user 205 with access.

The user 205 can interact with the social media Q&A manager 240 via auser interface 215 running on a client device 210. The client device 210can represent a variety of computing devices capable of supportingoperation of the user interface 215 and communicating with the socialmedia Q&A manager 240 and/or the social media data sources 220 over anetwork 280.

The user interface 215 can be a graphical means for collecting data fromand presenting data to the user 205. The user interface 215 can bewritten to operate commensurately with the configuration of the clientdevice 210 (i.e., an application written specifically for a smartphone).

As previously discussed, a social media data source 220 can represent avariety of computing systems and/or software applications that collectdata from a body of members. The data collected by a social media datasource 220 can be referred to as user-provided knowledge 230 and residein one or more data stores 225 associated with the social media datasource 220.

The user-provided knowledge 230 can encompass data of varying formats,depending upon the types of data accepted by the social media datasource 220. For example, the user-provided knowledge 230 stored by amicro-blog can comprise only text, whereas a typical blog can includetext, images, audio, and/or video formats.

The social media Q&A manager 240 can be a software application thataggregates related user-provided knowledge 230 from multiple socialmedia data sources 220. The social media Q&A manager 240 can operatefrom a server 235 that is accessible of the network 280. The server 235can represent the hardware and/or software that supports operation ofthe social media Q&A manager 240.

The social media Q&A manager 240 can include a question handler 245, acommunications handler 250, an answer quality calculator 255, and a datastore 260 for storing operational data. The question handler 245 canrepresent the component of the social media Q&A manager 240 configuredto perform functions related to questions entered into the userinterface 215 by the user 205.

Examples of functions that can be performed by the question handler 245can include, but are not limited to, translating the question's textinto a query statement, identifying social media data sources 220 thatare applicable to the question, querying the social media data sources220, submitting questions to the social media data sources 220 on behalfof the user 205, monitoring submitted questions for answers, and thelike.

The question handler 245 can also be responsible for analyzing queriessubmitted by the user 205, organizing the queries into a topic orcategory of the social media data source 220, presenting existinganswers to questions related to the user's 205 query, and registeringthe user's 205 feedback (positive/negative) to the suggested questionsand/or answers.

The question handler 245 can be configured to utilize the questionlibrary 270 and/or metrics data 275 contained in the data store 260. Thequestion library 270 can represent a historical record of questionsreceived by the social media Q&A manager 240. In addition to the text ofthe question, the question library 270 can also store the translatedquery so it can be reused on repeat occasions.

The question library 270 can be further designed to capture otherinformation of value like question frequency for later analysis. Forexample, question frequency can be used to create a list of “popular”questions that can be presented in the user interface 215 to generateuser 205 interest and/or traffic.

The metrics data 275 can represent items of performance data about thesocial media data sources 220. The question handler 245 can use themetrics data 275 when determining which social media data sources 220 tosubmit a question.

For example, since monitoring overhead increases with the quantity ofsocial media data sources 220, instead of submitting the question toevery social media data source 220, the question handler 245 can look atthe metrics data 275 to determine the ten “best” social media datasources 220 that are applicable to the question. Calculation of “best”can be based off of metrics data 275 like average response time,expertise, quantity of members, and the like.

When interacting with the social media data sources 220, the questionhandler 245 can utilize the communications handler 250. Thecommunications handler 250 can be the component of the social media Q&Amanager 240 that establishes and/or manages communication sessions withthe social media data sources 220.

The communications handler 250 can utilize the stored authorizationcredentials 265 when establishing communication sessions. Theauthorization credentials 265 can represent membership information for aspecific social media data source 220. Depending upon implementation ofthe social media Q&A manager 240, the authorization credentials 265 cancontain the username and password set up by the user 205 for the socialmedia data sources 220. Alternately, the question handler 245 canutilize authorization credentials 265 that represent a “guest” member orother type of general membership account.

Answers to the user's 205 question can be organized by an answer qualitygenerated by the answer quality calculator 255. The answer quality canbe a quantitative and/or numerical representation of the completenessand/or reliability of the answer. The answer quality calculator 255 canutilize a variety of factors when determining answer quality.

Examples of these factors can include, but are not limited to, the nameof the author of the knowledge, a competency level of the author of theknowledge, the amount of time in which the author provided theknowledge, the name of the social media data source containing theknowledge, a position of the knowledge within a data structure of thesocial media data source (i.e., posting level), a feedback ratingassigned to the knowledge by visitors of the social media data source,references associated with the knowledge, and the like.

The social media Q&A manager 240 can then present the ordered answers tothe user 205 in the user interface 215. The user 205 can then providefeedback about the answers via the user interface 215, which the socialmedia Q&A manager 240 can convey to the corresponding social media datasources 220.

Network 280 can include any hardware/software/and firmware necessary toconvey data encoded within carrier waves. Data can be contained withinanalog or digital signals and conveyed though data or voice channels.Network 280 can include local components and data pathways necessary forcommunications to be exchanged among computing device components andbetween integrated device components and peripheral devices. Network 280can also include network equipment, such as routers, data lines, hubs,and intermediary servers which together form a data network, such as theInternet. Network 280 can also include circuit-based communicationcomponents and mobile communication components, such as telephonyswitches, modems, cellular communication towers, and the like. Network280 can include line based and/or wireless communication pathways.

As used herein, presented data stores 225 and 260 can be a physical orvirtual storage space configured to store digital information. Datastores 225 and 260 can be physically implemented within any type ofhardware including, but not limited to, a magnetic disk, an opticaldisk, a semiconductor memory, a digitally encoded plastic memory, aholographic memory, or any other recording medium. Data stores 225 and260 can be a stand-alone storage unit as well as a storage unit formedfrom a plurality of physical devices. Additionally, information can bestored within data stores 225 and 260 in a variety of manners. Forexample, information can be stored within a database structure or can bestored within one or more files of a file storage system, where eachfile may or may not be indexed for information searching purposes.Further, data stores 225 and/or 260 can utilize one or more encryptionmechanisms to protect stored information from unauthorized access.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a Web browser 300 depicting an example userinterface 305 for the social media Q&A manager in accordance withembodiments of the inventive arrangements disclosed herein. The socialmedia Q&A manager 305 can be utilized within the context of interactiondiagram 100 and/or system 200.

As shown in this example, the social media Q&A manager can be a Webservice having a user interface 305 presented to the user within a Webbrowser 300. The social media Q&A manager user interface 305 can variousinteraction components, such as the My Questions component 310, Ask aQuestion component 315, and Answer a Question component 320 shown inthis example.

The My Questions component 310 can be used to present the questionsentered by the user as well as the answers aggregated by the socialmedia Q&A manager. Collection 330 of FIG. 3A can illustrate a detailedexample of the My Questions component 310.

The user-entered questions 332 and aggregated answers 336 can bepresented in a tree structure that can be collapsed/expanded. As shownin this example, the question 332, “What is a crampon?” has beenexpanded to display the aggregate of answers 336. The answer quality 334of each answer can also be visually presented.

Further, the aggregate of answers 336 can include a mechanism by which auser can elect to view more 338 of the answers contained in theaggregate. For example, the social media Q&A manager can be configuredto present a specific quantity of answers 336 or answers 336 above apredefined answer quality 334 threshold. Should the user feel that thepresented answers 336 are insufficient, the user can select the viewmore 338 option to examine the rest of the answers 336.

The My Questions component 310 can further include a mechanism 340 topresent answers 336 to questions 332 determined to be related to theuser's questions. Thus, in this example, the related questions 340element can include questions 332 and their corresponding answers 336that are related to ocean depths and/or mountaineering.

Selection of an answer 336 by the user can result in the display of afeedback window 345. The feedback window 345 can request data from theuser regarding their opinion of how well the answer 336 resolved theirquestion 332. The specific data requested within the feedback window 345can vary and can be inclusive of the feedback data used by the socialmedia data source that provided the answer 336.

In this example, the feedback window 345 can ask the user to rate theanswer 336 as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory 350 as well asprovide one or more reasons 352 for their rating 350. The reasons 352presented to the user can depend upon the selected rating 350 and/orsocial media data source.

Once the user is finished entering data into the feedback window 345,the user can select the Submit button 355. Doing so can close thefeedback window 345 and trigger the social media Q&A manager topropagate the feedback data to the corresponding social media datasource.

The Ask a Question component 315 can present the user with the datacollection elements necessary for requesting an aggregate of answers,such as those shown in the Ask a Question component 315 of FIG. 3B. Inthis example, the Ask a Question component 315 can include a questionarea 360, a data sources area 365, and a submit button 375.

The submit button 375 can indicate that the user has finished entry inthe Ask a Question component 315 and the entered data can be used by thesocial media Q&A manager. The question area 360 can be configured toaccept entry of the user's question like a text box.

The data sources area 365 can allow the user to specify the social mediadata sources that should be queried with the entered question. The datasources area 365 can include an option for the social media Q&A managerto determine and utilize those social media data sources that it deemsapplicable 370 to the user's question. The applicable data sourcesoption 370 can be of particular benefit since the social media Q&Amanager can be aware of more social media data sources than the user.

The Answer a Question component 320 of the social media Q&A manager userinterface 305 can redirect the user to a questionnaire for determiningwhat topics or experiences that the user has knowledge. Alternately, theAnswer a Question component 320 can present the user with questions inthe question library that have not yet been answered by any of thesocial media data sources.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method 400 detailing the operation of thesocial media Q&A manager in accordance with embodiments of the inventivearrangements disclosed herein. Method 400 can be perform actionsdescribed in interaction diagram 100 and/or can be performed within thecontext of system 200, and/or in conjunction with the social media Q&Amanager user interface 305 of FIG. 3.

Method 400 can begin in step 405 where the social media Q&A manager canreceive query parameters (i.e., question and data sources) via the userinterface. In step 410, it can be determined if the question is alreadycontained in the question library.

When the question is not already in the question library, step 415 canexecute where the question can be translated into an appropriate querystatement. The question and the query statement can then be added to thequestion library in step 420.

When the question is already in the question library, step 425 canexecute where the existing query statement for the question can beretrieved from the question library. Upon completion of step 420 or step425, the social media data sources to be used with the query parameterscan be determined in step 430.

In step 435, the query statement can be executed on the knowledge-baseof each determined social media data source. It can be determined, instep 440, if any applicable answers were found.

When applicable answers were not found, step 445 can execute where theuser can be informed of the lack of answers. The user's question canthen be submitted to each determined social media data source in step450.

In step 455, the submitted questions can be monitored, over apredetermined time period, for responses. Step 455 can be performedutilizing a listening agent on each social media data source or byperiodically polling the social media data sources.

In step 460, it can be determined if an answer has been received for asubmitted question. When an answer has yet to be received, it can bedetermined if the monitoring time limit has been met in step 465. Whenthe monitoring time limit has not been met, flow can return to step 455.When the monitoring time limit has been met, step 470 can execute wherethe appropriate metrics can be updated.

When an answer has been received or when it was determined that anapplicable answer was found in step 440, step 475 can execute where theanswers can be aggregated. The answer quality for each answer can thenbe calculated in step 480.

In step 485, the aggregate of answers can be organized in descendingorder by the calculated answer quality. The organized answers can thenbe presented to the user in the user interface in step 490.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

1.-9. (canceled)
 10. A system for managing user-generated questions andanswers across multiple social media sources comprising: a plurality ofsocial media data sources configured to maintain data representing acollection of knowledge from its respective members; and a social mediaquestion and answer (Q&A) manager configured to organize and presentknowledge from the plurality of social media data sources for auser-entered question, wherein said social media Q&A manager operatesindependent of the plurality of social media data sources.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the social media Q&A manager furthercomprises: a user interface configured to accept user-entered data, suchas the user-entered question, and present said knowledge, wherein theuser-entered data is selectively distributed to at least one of theplurality of social media data sources.
 12. The system of claim 10,wherein the social media Q&A manager further comprises: a questionhandler configured to perform a plurality of functions utilizing theuser-entered question, wherein said plurality of functions comprises atleast translating a text of the user-entered question into a querystatement usable by the plurality of social media data sources,recording the text of the user-entered question and the query statementin a question library, executing the query statement on at least one ofthe plurality of social media data sources, determining at least onesocial media data source as related to the user-entered question,posting the user-entered question to at least one social media datasource, and monitoring posted questions for responses.
 13. The system ofclaim 10, further comprising: a communications handler configured toestablish communications sessions between the social media Q&A managerand the plurality of social media data sources, wherein saidcommunications sessions are established using at least one of a set ofauthorization credentials associated with a user of the social media Q&Amanager, a set of authorization credentials associated with an entityproviding use of the social media Q&A manager, and a set of guestauthorization credentials, wherein said set of guest authorizationcredentials at least allows an ability to search the knowledge of the atleast one applicable social media data source and submit theuser-entered question.
 14. The system of claim 10, further comprising:an answer quality calculator configured determine an answer quality foreach element of knowledge, wherein said answer quality quantitativelyrepresents a completeness and reliability of the knowledge with respectto the user-entered question, wherein the answer quality is based upon aplurality of quality factors, wherein said plurality of quality factorscomprise a combination of at least three of an identifier of an authorof the knowledge, a competency level of the author of the knowledge, anamount of time in which the author provided the knowledge, an identifierof the social media data source containing the knowledge, a position ofthe knowledge within a data structure of the social media data source, afeedback rating assigned to the knowledge by visitors of the socialmedia data source, and references associated with the knowledge.
 15. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein a social media data source comprises atleast one of a social networking site, a communal discussion site, acommunal gaming site, a micro-blog, a virtual world, a communalstreaming site, a data-sharing site, a WIKI site, and a massivemulti-player online (MMO) gaming site.
 16. The system of claim 10,wherein the social media Q&A manager is provided as a licensed serviceof at least one of the plurality of social media data sources, whereinthe social media Q&A manager is accessible from within a user interfaceof the at least one social media data source, yet owned and operated byan entity independent of the plurality of social media data sources. 17.A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage mediumhaving computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computerusable program code comprising: computer usable program code configuredto receive a plurality of query parameters via a user interface, whereinsaid plurality of query parameters comprise at least a user-enteredquestion; computer usable program code configured to query a pluralityof social media data sources for knowledge related to the user-enteredquestion, wherein a social media data source maintains a plurality ofdata representing a collection of knowledge from its members, whereinsaid knowledge represents at least one of a textual phrase, a textualsentence, a textual paragraph, a hyperlink, a list, an audio file, avideo file, and an image; computer usable program code configured to,when knowledge related to the user-entered question exists in at leastone social media data source, organize and present the existing relatedknowledge in the user interface, wherein the existing knowledge isorganized in accordance with a determined answer quality; computerusable program code configured to, when knowledge related to theuser-entered question is at least one of non-existent in at least onesocial media data source and deemed unsatisfactory by a user,automatically submit the user-entered question to at least oneapplicable social media data source, wherein said submission isperformed on behalf of the user; computer usable program code configuredto monitor a status of the user-entered question submitted to the atleast one applicable social media data source, wherein said statuscomprises at least an unanswered status, an answered status, and a newanswer status; and computer usable program code configured to, when thestatus of the submitted user-entered question changes to at least one ofthe answered status and the new answer status, re-execute the queryingof the plurality of social media data sources.
 18. The computer programproduct of claim 17, further comprising: computer usable program codeconfigured to identify at least one of the plurality of social mediadata sources as applicable to the user-entered question; and computerusable program code configured to establish a communications sessionwith the at least one applicable social media data source, wherein saidcommunications session is established using at least one of a set ofauthorization credentials associated with the user, a set ofauthorization credentials associated with an entity providing use of thesocial media Q&A manager, and a set of guest authorization credentials,wherein said set of guest authorization credentials at least allows anability to search the knowledge of the at least one applicable socialmedia data source and submit the user-entered question.
 19. The computerprogram product of claim 17, further comprising: computer usable programcode configured to analyze a taxonomy for a social media data source;and computer usable program code configured to identify equivalenciesbetween taxonomies, wherein said equivalencies are based upon at leastone of synonymous terminology, taxonomical hierarchy, and semantics. 20.The computer program product of claim 17, wherein, when the status ofthe submitted user-entered question changes to the new answer status,said method further comprises: computer usable program code configuredto propagate the response to the user-entered question to otherapplicable social media data sources, wherein said response isassociated with an existing question that is at least one of identicaland similar to the submitted user-entered question.
 21. The computerprogram product of claim 17, wherein organizing the existing knowledgefurther comprises: computer usable program code configured to assess theanswer quality of the existing knowledge based upon a plurality ofquality factors, wherein said plurality of quality factors comprise acombination of at least three of an identifier of an author of theknowledge, a competency level of the author of the knowledge, an amountof time in which the author provided the knowledge, an identifier of thesocial media data source containing the knowledge, a position of theknowledge within a data structure of the social media data source, afeedback rating assigned to the knowledge by visitors of the socialmedia data source, and references associated with the knowledge; andcomputer usable program code configured to order a list of the existingknowledge by the answer quality.
 22. The computer program product ofclaim 17, further comprising: computer usable program code configured tosolicit feedback data from the user for the organized knowledge, whereinsaid feedback data qualitatively expresses a degree to which an elementof existing knowledge satisfies the user-entered question; and computerusable program code configured to propagate the feedback data to thesocial media data source associated with the element of existingknowledge. 23.-25. (canceled)